While the UMPC platform has sparked some interest from
consumers, the high price of entry -- around $1,000 for entry-level models --
has stalled significant growth of the sector. Asustek hopes to change that with
its new Eee PC.

According to Reuters,
the Eee PC will be priced from $199 for its bulk customers. Asustek's Eee PC
will be available at brick-and-mortar stores like Best Buy and online retailers
like Newegg within the next few weeks. The UMPC will later make an appearance
in Europe.

"If we can sell a couple million [Eee PCs], we'll be
confident," remarked Jonathan Tsang, Asustek's president of sales and
marketing.

The Eee
PC features a 7" display (800x480), 10/100 NIC, 56k modem, WiFi, 256MB
to 1GB of DDR2 memory and solid-state memory for storage (2GB to 8GB). To keep prices
low, the device runs a Linux-based operating system although it is compatible with Windows XP.

The range-topping Eee PC 8G features 1GB of memory and 8GB of storage space. It also features a 5200 mAh battery good for 3.5 hours of battery life (lesser models are stuck with a 4400 mAh battery good for 2.8 hours). Device weight is a trim 2 pounds.

A Russian
review of the Eee PC revealed that the device is powered by an ULV 900MHz
Intel Celeron processor which is backed up by an Intel 910GMLE Express chipset.

Updated 10/16/2007Asus has released official specifications for its Eee PC and this article has been updated to reflect the additional information. According to Gizmodo, the Eee PC will retail from $299 USD.